Sand spreader for vehicles provided with platform bodies



Sept. 9, 1958 R. ERIKSSON SAND SPREADER FOR VEHICLES PROVIDED WITH PLATFORM BODIES Filed Aug. 18,1953

INVENTOR. RAGNAR ["[OLGER F I/@ 014, decease 0mm, iiD LL SAND SPREADER FUR VEHICLES PROVIDED WITH PLATFORM BODIES Ragnar Holger Eriksson, deceased, late of Forshaga, Sweden, by Sonja lrene Eriltsson, administratrix, Forshaga, Sweden, assignor to Forshaga Bilverkstad, Forsliaga, Sweden, a Swedish company Application August 18, 1953, Serial No. 374,985

1 Claim. (Cl. 222-178) T he present invention relates to a sand spreader for velncles provided with platform bodies, e. g., trucks, which are adapted to receive a rear gate detachably fixed to the rear of the vehicle.

It is one object of the invention to provide a sand spreader unit, which can be substituted for the rear gate with a minimum of work and effort.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sand spreader of the type referred to having a helically grooved feed roller driven by means of an electric motor controlled from the drivers cab in order to suit the revolutions per unit of time of the feed roller to the sand spreading requirements.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a sand spreader of a detachable gate type having a feed roller supported for rotation on the gate and an electric motor also fixed to the gate for driving the feed roller and having leads connected to control devices located in the drivers cab.

Other objects and the nature and advantage of the invention will be evident from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view in a rear elevation of an embodiment of the detachable sand spreader unit according to the invention, as attached to the rear end of a truck body.

Figure 2, is a diagrammatic side elevation of the truck provided at its rear end with the sand spreader unit according to the invention and more specifically showing the electric circuit for the motor of the sand spreader unit.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 reference numerals 1 and 2 designate the common two side walls of a truck body, to which is attached a rear gate 3. The gate 3 ited States Patent comprises a rectangular frame of angle and flat irons 4 and g a wood panel 5 surrounded by the irons 4 to form a rigid flap-like structure. Extending forwardly from the ends of said gate 3, there are brackets or the like 6 and 7 respectively, which support the whole gate from bolts 8 screwed into the side walls 1 and 2, only one of which being shown in the drawing. As will be evident from Figure l, the gate 3, by being supported in this way, is caused by gravity to abut the rear edges 9 and 10, respectively, of the side walls 1 and 2 so as to cover the rear opening of the truck body in the same manner as the usual gate. In order to obtain additional latching of the gate to the truck body any suitable latch members may be employed.

Each one of the brackets 6 and 7 at their lower ends 11 support a bearing 12 and 13, respectively. The bearings l2 and 13 between them support a shaft 14 mounted for rotational movement therein. Fixed to the shaft 14 is a feed roller 15, which may be formed of a pipe or similar. Said feed roller 15 is provided with a helically extending flange 16 for a purpose which will be described later on. The shaft 14, at one end, has fixed thereto a pulley 17 provided with a peripheral V-shaped groove 18. Mounted on the outer face of the gate 3 is an electric motor 19, the shaft 20 of which has secured thereto a pulley 21 having a V-shaped groove similar to that of the 2,851,199 'Patented Sept. 9, 1958 ICC pulley 17. The pulley 21 of the motor and the pulley 17 of the feed roller are operatively connected by means of a V-belt, which will impart motion from the motor 19 to the shaft 14 and the feed roller 15.

The woodpanel of the gate 3 has secured thereto by means of bolts 23 two bracket members 24 and 25, from the upper ends of which protrudes a lug or the like 26 and 27, respectively. The innermost. surfaces of said bracket members 23 and 24 are provided with a guide 28 and 29, respectively, for guiding two vertical tongues 30 and 31, respectively, for vertical movement therein. The tongues constitute upward extensions of a horizontally arranged support plate 32 extending along the entire length of the gate 3. Securedto each tongue 30 and 31 is an car 33 and 34, respectively, both of which'latter are provided with a threaded hole for' receiving a threaded bolt 35 and 36, respectively, extending through holes in the cars 26 and 27. By means of said bolts 35 and 36 and the tongues 30 and 31 the support plate 32 maybe raised or lowered at will by turning the heads 37 and 38 of the bolts by means of a key. For securing purposes the said bolts 35 and 36 may have threaded thereon a locking nut 39 and 40, respectively, which nuts may be tightened against the lugs 26 and 27 afteradjustment. Mounted on the support plate32 there is afstrip of rubber or the like 41 extending along the entire'length of the gate 3 and depending from its lower end. The upper margin of the strip 41 is clasped between the support plate 32 and an outer clamping plate 43 by means of screws or bolts 44 extending through the clamping plate 43, the strip 41 and the support plate 42. The lower flexible marginal portion of the strip 41 may be retained in a spaced relation to the feed roller 15 or pressed against same by adjusting the screws 37 and 38 or also lifted away from the feed roller to form a suitable space therebetween.

Referring now to Figure 2, wherein similar reference numerals designate similar details as in Figure 1, the motor 20 is connected by means of an electric lead 45 to one terminal of a source of electric current such as a battery 46 and by means of a further lead 47 to the other terminal of the source of power 46. Connected in the lead 47 there is a rheostat 48 which, in accordance with the invention, is placed in the drivers cab 49.

The sand spreader according to the invention operates as follows:

A common truck, which normally is used for the transport of goods, may be temporarily taken out of such service and employed for sand spreading purposes at ice-coated and slippery roads. The usual rear gate is detached from the vehicle and the gate-like unit according to the invention substituted for said gate and fixed to the truck by means of the two bolts 8. Then the electric leads, which preferably are stationarily mounted in the truck, may be may be rotated at any selected revolutions per unit of time which will contribute conveniently to adapt the amount of sand discharged for various requirements. By lowering the strip of rubber 41 so that its lower edge will contact the feed roller 15 along its entire length the said strip will be continuously bulged rearwardly by the flange 16 along its entire length and an adjusted amount of sand will be thrown onto the road to form a suitable coating of sand thereon.

After the sand spreader has been used and the sand spreading work finished the spreader may be easily de- 3 tached and the usual gate substituted therefor on the truck. The whole unit may then be put aside ready for new sand spreading work whenever required.

Although ridges or flanges have been shown on the drawing in connection with the feed roller 15 it is evident that a helically extending slot wouldbe an equivalence and furthermore any wanted number of ridges or grooves in the feed roller 15 may be provided without departing from the inventive idea.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and described but may be varied in several respects within the scope of the basic inventive idea.

What is claimed is:

A sand spreader for use on a wheeled vehicle provided With a cab and a body having a removable rear gate and a source of electrical power and an adjustable electric control devicevplaced in the drivers cab, comprising a gate member adapted to be substituted for the removable gate of the body; a bracket member at each end of said gate member; a bearing secured to each one of said brackets at a distance below the bottom edge of said gate member; a feed roller extending the full length of the bottom edge and supported for rotational movement in said hearings in a spaced relation to the bottom edge of the gate member; a flange extending helically around said feed roller the length thereof, a pulley fixed to said feed roller, an electric motor fixed to said gate member for converting electrical power into mechanical driving power; a pulley on the shaft of said motor; a belt operatively connecting said pulleys; electric leads connecting said motor, source 4, of power and electric control device to form an electric circuit; a flexible stripmember of rubber or the like extending along the entire length of said gate member and bridging the space between said bottom edge of said gate member and said feed roller; supporting means for said strip member on said gate member; comprising tongues extending upwardly from said strip member; guide members fixed to said gate member for receiving said tongues for vertical displacement therein, ears fixed to said tongues, lugs fixed to said guide members; and set screws extending through pairs of said ears and lugs for adjusting the strip member into different positions of vertical displacement relative to said feed roller and for retaining same in such positions of adjustment, said motor driving said feed roller independently of the wheels of the vehicle whereby said roller disburses material from the vehicle in accordance with the rotational speed of the roller and the relative position of the roller and strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,263,105 Plummer Apr. 16, 1918 1,312,314 Eisenmann et al. Aug. 5, 1919 1,606,676 Urann Nov. 9, 1926 1,723,805 Nickerson Aug. 6, 1929 1,829,652 Hill Oct. 27, 1931 2,368,470 Hopkins Jan. 30, 1945 2,369,983 Rodli et al. Feb. 20, 1945 2,561,002 Weeks July 17, 1951 

